For their current tours, the superstar singers have once again turned to the Italian house for a high-voltage dose of glamour and showmanship. Vogue talks to new Cavalli creative director, Paul Surridge, about creating custom-made designs for Beyoncé and Mariah Carey.
Beyoncé and Mariah Carey were back in Roberto Cavalli on stage this weekend - but unlike in 2014 when both divas wore the same embellished, black dress, this time they were dressed in custom-made designs by the Italian label's new creative director Paul Surridge. Carey kicked off her Las Vegas residency on 5 July in a couture Cavalli dress, while Beyoncé stepped out on 6 July in Milan in two custom-made creations for the latest leg of her OTR II Tour.
"I jumped at the opportunity," Surridge tells Vogue of the chance to work with the two living icons. Both singers have worn the Italian label on and off the stage throughout their careers, but this was a chance for Surridge to reimagine them in his vision for the "new" Cavalli. "For me, the woman who wears Cavalli wants to be visible and wants to be celebrated," says the British-born and Saint Martin's-trained designer, who succeeded Peter Dundas at the helm of the Italian house in July 2017. "Both women represent very different things, but fundamentally they are both artists, both passionate and both beautiful women."
Carey's couture white dress, especially commissioned for her Vegas show, was inspired by the heritage zebra print. "She wanted something very traditional," notes Surridge, passionately describing the painstaking detail - "hand-placed beading, using french sequins, crystals and glass fringes, layered with beautiful marabu and white ostrich feathers at the bottom" - of the garment, which took over 100 dedicated hours of hand sewing to complete. The aim was to evoke a traditional sense of glamour and showmanship. "Mariah's is a voice that I grew up with and this design is her in a dress."
(Vogue)
|
|
